Coaches Report - April 2011

Finally we are out of the cozy water and toughening up again.  It’s been a long winter, but now the monotity of training in a warm 25 meter pool is finally over.  The first few dips in the River Crouch was painfully taken with the usual ‘brain freeze’ while we tried to acclimatise to the freezing open water.  Thank god Karen manages this so much better than myself.  She’s soon off and swimming while I bob about for an extra 10mins trying to put my face in.  But we have been blessed with such good weather lately, that it has meant that we have been able to swim in the open water frequently throughout April.

So the next two months will see us trying to increase the length of time our bodies are able to cope with the cold.  (Obviously this is not a necessity for myself so it is quite nice that I can say at any point – “I’m getting out now, but you have to carry on”).  Several swims in the River Crouch have all lasted over an hour which is good news.  The only trouble with the Crouch is that it is so tidal.  Good in some ways for practicing swimming against the tide, but bad in others, when the cold kicks in and it’s a hard long slog back to Marsh Farm against the tide.

Last weekend saw us attempt the 2Swim4Life, 24 hour challenge.  I wanted Karen to do this for several reasons.  I knew it would be a good test of the mind for her.  To stay focused and determined when it gets boring and never ending.  And to be freezing cold with no facility to warm up for hours on end – how would she deal with these two things.  We started at 10.00a.m. on Saturday 30 April with the challenge being to swim a mile on the hour, every hour, for 24 hours, so finishing our last mile at 9.00a.m. on 1^st May.  With the air temperature being extremely cold, some swimmers were already giving in to their wetsuits early on Saturday.  Karen and I both managed to stay in our cozzies till late evening before putting on the wetsuit.  The first hurdle came for her at Mile 7.  The mind told her to stop.  It was cold, it was boring, and the end was nowhere near in sight.  The little ‘set back’ at 7 miles was purely mental and I was shocked it came so early.  I knew it was a mental block and not physical, as she would never have managed to get to 18 miles had she been in ill or in pain. So to go on and do another 11 miles meant it was all ‘mind over matter’and she had severely lost concentration.  You need to focus on something, anything, but what you don’t want to focus on is ‘I've still got 17 miles to go, which I believe is where her mind was taking her.  All swimmers have different ways to motivate themselves.  I had music both on dry land and on a waterproof MP3 player.  Each mile was done to a song donated by a sponsor and they had given me a reason to do that mile.  My son kept saying to me, “Mum, you are gonna swim a mile for soandso because etc etc, and this person gave you ‘X’ amount of sponsor money to do it, so you best had.  I’m not saying it works for everyone, but Karen didn’t have any of this when she went into the challenge. But she's taken my theory on board and I really hope it works for her too.  She has broken her 21 miles into 1/4 miles.  This will give me something to think about on the boat too.  I will be yelling at her every step of the way, just do this next ¼ mile for soandso please.  It's a little more interesting than just yelling “You’ve still got a bloody long way to go”.  So please, anyone reading this blog, please help us to get Karen across the channel, please sponsor her for a 1/4 of a mile and give me a lovely comment that I can call out to her to help her to focus while she is doing your 1/4 mile for you.  You can leave your message here on this blog and donate through    http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Karensbigswim   Im sure it will help her to focus.

  

But lets not take anything away from her.  What she did at Guildford was pretty incredible.   To be in a semi-hypothermic state for 18 hours, tired and still swimming was fantastic.  I have no doubts that the solo channel crossing is well within her capabilities.  In hind sight, perhaps if I had not been attempting the challenge myself, I would have had the time and energy to ‘kick her butt’ into doing that last 6 miles, but the challenge as it stood, was taking its toll on me. I shivered with the cold and cried my way through the last 6 miles or so and had no energy to motivate Karen.  I needed to pull on all my resources to get myself to mile 24.  Lessons were learnt from the challenge though and that was the main thing.  From the nutrition point of view, to the cold and more importantly the mind set, it was all a worth while exercise. 

This weekend saw us back in Dover.  Suffering from an ear infection, I was unable to swim so observed from the beach as Karen crept into the 11 degree water and managed to stay in for 1hr 15mins.  And then just as she thought it was all over, Freda shouted 45mins recovery and you’re back in.  Something neither of us expected, but looking back, what a brilliant idea.  It was like being at Guildford all over again, with not enough time to get dry or warm before you have to hit that ice again.  The ‘second sitting’ so to speak saw her getting in the water knowing that the resident seal was playing with the swimmers.

The funniest thing I saw during this second dip was all the swimmers bobbing about just 20metres off shore, not being allowed to come back in until ‘time was up’.  Freda’s assistant just kept shouting ‘keep swimming’ keep moving’ you have five more minutes, but they were all lined up like little lost sheep with a begging look on their faces that just said, “Please Mr, can we get out of the sea now”.  Hysterical.  Of course, I can say this, coz I was wrapped up in the trakkie on the beach but I doubt I will find it funny when I’m back in the water keeping her company next week.

Time is going so fast now, but the weather is good and the motivation is back on track.  What we have to do now, is build up that length of time in the open water to 6, 7, 8 hours at a time and master those feeds.  So much to do now as these final 8 weeks start their countdown.

9 week count down

It's now only nine weeks and a few days until my channel swim slot, I have now received my membership certificate from the CS&PF, how scary is that.

We have been in the open water for the last three weeks and beginning to get acclimatised, though I must admit I have been wearing a wet suit to get some distance in.  The good news is that last week I managed one hour in my swim suit.  We have been swimming in the crouch which is the tidal river five minutes from where we live.  It has a wicked tide which is really good for resistance training.

We had a little challenge this weekend it was the 2swim4life one mile every mile for 24 hours in aid of help for hero's.  I can truthfully say I have never done anything so difficult, it took place at the Guildford Lido.  Every hour you got into the cold water and swam 32 lengths (50m pool), there were water jets at each end of the pool which made the water extremely choppy.  I think I must have drunk half the pool.  I was ready to give up at 7 miles the constant getting in and out of the pool was really mentally wearing, but as always Lorraine made me get back in and I am glad she did. 

Unfortunately I only made it to 18 miles and the cold took such a hold I could do no more.  I feel extremely annoyed with myself but I have learnt a lot from the experience and will use it to get me across the channel as I don't want to feel that way again.  Safe to say Lorraine being my hero completed the challenge what a coach.

That challenge has left me with no doubt that I will achieve my goal to cross the channel, firstly I was only 3 miles short of the channel distance and I know distance wise I could have continued, secondly I was wet and cold for over 18 hours, my crossing should only take 14 hours at the most and thirdly  but most importantly my instructions to Lorraine is not to let me out of the water unless I am floating. 

To keep me motivated and help raise money for my channel charities I am asking people to purchase a quarter of a mile and I will swim that distance for that person,  If you wish to be a motivator please provide me with a photo so that it can be displayed during that appropriate distance and a message for my support team to read out when I begin your distance.  Once you have made your donation on my charity site stating which mile you would like to sponsor I will put your photo on my mile motivator Chart which I plan to keep posted on this blog.

I will be updating this blog weekly so that you can all be part of this 9 week count down, so have a good week and look forward to updating you next week. bye for now.

If you wish to make a donation or get me to swim for you then please visit the web site below. http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Karensbigswim

Coaches Report - No more excuses !

Yippee, she is still with us !.   You will be forgiven for thinking that my ‘little water slave’ has sunk to the bottom of the ocean and is laying down there amongst the seaweed.  I had decided not to do another update myself until she had swum back to the surface again but I am pleased to say, we are back in business.

The only excuse for not keeping you well informed on the progress is for sure, a good one.  We are too busy working full-time and swimming.  But as the date is almost upon us now, just four months to go, then I agree, its about time we stepped up the pace on the sponsorship side too.  Your support is really appreciated and if you would like to make a donation please remember to log into http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Karensbigswim and I promise, we will do our very best to find the time to keep you updated on the training progress.  The running total is not moving much at the moment but rest assured, money is being collected and we are so grateful to all those that are pledging.

So this update is to reassure everyone that after a small period of hibernation, we are both very much alive and kicking and the schedule is back on target.  In fact, we are even going to attempt a 24 mile open air swim on April 30 in Guildford next month so we can see what it is like to swim through the night in freezing conditions.  I’m gonna do it with Karen and hopefully we can motivate one another to complete the challenge.  This challenge is for ‘Help for Heroes’, another very good cause.  Details can be found on  http://www.2swim4life.co.uk/ and if anyone would prefer to sponsor this cause, rather than the channel charities, please leave a comment on the blog and I will send you details.

So what are we up to at the moment.  Well each week consists of 5 swims and several gym workouts, and as soon as the water temperature has stepped up another degree or two, then we will be outdoors again to do more.  Straight from work, with not even a quick pop indoors to let hubby’s know we are still alive, our week goes something like this:  Tuesday’s is always two hours of disorientation swimming.  This consists mainly of long distances constantly breathing to one side (to practice avoiding swallowing water if we hit some huge waves), lots of somersaults to get used to the big swells that bring on sickness and lots of treading water to practice feeds.  We mix all these up and the end result is ‘I feel sick’.  Mission accomplished.  Wednesdays is always 2 hours of long distance but splits.  So for example 30 x 100, very little rest and off times that are hard to meet.  Thursdays : 2 hours of kicking and drills, not too stressful because we need to save the energy for the Fridays.  Fridays : 4.5 hours of continuous swimming.  Karen is hitting her 8 mile target in this time and this is as far as we can get with the time available.  Sunday’s : 2 hours similar to Wednesdays.  Hard broken distances but usually 200, 300’s and 400’s with the rest periods being active rests, so kick or slow swim before picking up the pace again.  We are swimming the channel each week in distance plus a bit more and her times are coming down.  Gone are the days back in August last year when she could only manage 3 x 100 off 2.15 before we needed a bit extra rest.  She can now swim continuously off 2 minute pace for each hundred without any slowing up.  So great progress for someone not of a swimmer background.

So that’s it folks.  It’s all still happening and no news means we are busy training. 

So, I’m off to the pool now to do what I do best.   Shout at Karen.  Back soon.   Glug Glug….

Four Months and Counting

Yes I'm still here and yes I am still swimming the channel in July I bet you thought I had given up, but I must admit its been a long winter.  I have managed to use every excuse in the book not to train even to the extreme measure of writing off my car when I rolled it into a ditch. 

I have always had a motivation issue in the winter,the short days and traveling to and from work in the dark leaves me wanting to do nothing except go home and sleep much to Lorraine's exasperation.  Many a time she has bit her lip and held back the sharp words I know she has wanted to say, it is through her pushing me  and the fact that spring is on its way that I am back to full training and beginning to enjoy it again.

Hey ho, moving forward it is unbelievable that there are only four more months left until my little swim across the pond.  We have started doing distances in the pool, so far I have managed to swim 8 miles but I am having problems with sickness, I get to about 7k, when the constant turning gets to me and my stomach starts to churn. 

I managed to get to 12k a couple of weeks ago when I had to get out of the pool vomit my guts up and then get back in to finish the last 800m, I can't wait to get back into the sea and just swim and at least if I have to be sick I can do it in the water and just swim on.  When I'm in the pool and I start to feel sick I begin to worry that I might be sick there and then and not manage to get out, how embarrassing would that be, worst than walking around with your knickers tucked in your skirt.  I have changed my feed and using sea bands which has helped a bit.  This week I am going to try ear plugs, just in case water is causing an inner ear imbalance whilst I am swimming.

All my paper work has arrived for the swim I have to have a medical to say that I am fit to do the swim, my GP will not sign me off until I have a cardiac consult due to my heart condition.  Cardiac echo was today and I am pleased to say everything is ok and there is no reason why I can't do the swim.  Next step back to my GP for my medical, I can then send back my documentation and I am all set officially.  I now need to start getting all my kit together and purchase the map of the channel that the pilot will mark as I make progress.  There now seems so much to do and so little time to do it in

Coaches Report November & December 2010

It’s been a tough November and December 2010!.  Hence, two reports together.  The past month has seen my little ‘water slave’, as Mr. Kevin Carley has started to call her, not only being rolled over by me in the water (all part of her ‘disorientation training’), but also being rolled over in her car!!!!!!!!  Combine this ‘time-out’, with horrendous weather conditions and extreme work pressures and what is the result – a failed attempt at December’s continuous 11.2k target!   November’s continuous 9.6k straight though, went without a hitch.  Hurt like hell, but she did it. 

We do our long swims slightly different now.  I have decided that as my little ‘water slave’ will not be able to touch the bottom to take on fluids during her challenge, that it would be a good idea to start taking our feeds from the deep end whilst treading water.  Her initial reaction – “But my arm will hurt when I reach up onto the side for my bottle”.  My initial reaction – L.O.L.!  “would you like me to dress a small table with a nice cloth, vase of flowers, candle etc. and pass it to you?    So this is the norm now for all continuous swims, no touching the bottom, well so I thought.  When Karen reads this, it will be the first time she realizes that I am not the fool she thinks I am.  Big brother is watching over you ALL THE TIME.  Whilst attempting December’s straight 11.2k, I always swim with her to keep her company.  Even though I am sort of enjoying the hard slog myself, I am constantly watching and monitoring her every move.  So with the lack of training through December, it came as no surprise to me when I looked back, under my arm, towards her whilst swimming in the opposite direction, to see her taking a sneaky rest and drinking whilst holding onto the side.  Then, as I swam back towards the deep end, head up position, to see what she was up to, there she was taking a very long rest indeed.  Then came the bit that took me back to my school days when you are doing something really naughty that you mustn’t let teacher see – just as I got within 15metres of the end, she let go of the side and frantically started treading water whilst taking fluids!  Who are you trying to kid?   Well, I never said anything at the time coz I was trying not to pee myself with laughter and choke as I carried on swimming.  OK Karen, so you might get lucky.  There might just be a large underwater volcano in the middle of the channel that you manage to find so you can have a little rest half way across. Who knows!  Me however, I am quite proud that I am having this effect on her – my water slave is actually scared of me!

Anyway, her 11.2k attempt was obviously going to end is failure.  She explained she felt sick – “So chuck up then and continue please”  She explained she was giddy – “So switch to backstroke please”   She explained backstroke hurts her neck – “So do breaststroke then please”  She explained breaststroke hurts her arm !!!!! SO BUGGER OFF THEN AND BE back in the pool at 6.30a.m. to finish off the missing 3.2k in the morning AND it will be done with flippers and paddles very, very hard.  To which she replied, I could make it at 7.00a.m.   */@*/@*@? Sorry, unprintable……….

Which brings me onto my ‘cyber friend’.  Mr. Paul Bates, whoever you are, he seems to be having the same problem with one of his team mates in Walsall.  Check out the following quote from his Xmas report before visiting their blog if you wish to follow their story. These guys are going to attempt a record breaking channel crossing relay in July 2011 and they are raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of their late friend, Mr. Mark Richuss.  Mark sadly died at such a tender age through heart disease in 2005.  Mark loved swimming, be it in the pool or open water.  Here is the clip from Big Ricks blog: -

 “Our other missing member is our very own Super Star..!! Mr  Darran "supper chest" Dyke  ...who sadly is suffering a very painful illness which he always gets about this time of year , I`m  thinking some of you may of heard of this deadly illness ... LAZYITIS....!!,  So at the moment, he's more fondly known as Flabby Chest..!.!! So he had best Get his ass into gear and get to training ASAP before he gets his old Man Boobs BACK.!!! (other wise we have to take shocking measures and publish picture evidence of the old man Boobs ..SCARY”.    

Seriously though, please visit the site : http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbigrickchannelswimteam.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fmerry-christmas-everyonex.html&h=28bca

So here we are.  2011 at last.  Karen Eyles will swim the channel - solo.  It’s gonna be a real tough few months as my own job, PA to an accountancy firm, will bring a lack of personal coaching from me whilst I struggle with the usual January self-assessment deadline and all that over-time.  My little “water slave” will need to be disciplined and self-motivated to get through the sessions without me nagging and moaning from the side.  But, I know she will do it because, despite a very lazy two months, the failed 11.2k was a huge wake up call.  We are now going to attempt it again on Friday January 14^th, followed by January’s continuous swim of 12.8k on Friday January 26^th and I just know they will both be a success because one thing that has not changed at all is her determination that despite the obstacles that are put in front of her, she will succeed in her challenge.   

Coaches Report - October 2010 - God, it's getting cold out there

And so another month passes.  Another month of 4 swims a week, with one being a continuous non-stop one and with as many gyms as we can physically handle when trying to run a family and hold down a full-time job.  I have to say it’s a complete pleasure working alongside Karen.  Her enthusiasm to succeed in this challenge certainly makes my job a little easier.  October’s continuous non-stop swim of 8k has now been achieved in the pool with a very reasonable time from Karen of 2hrs 40mins.  We had already achieved this distance at Dover back in September and in some respects, doing it in the cold sea is actually easier than a pool.  You need so much focus for swimming up and down in 30 degrees in the pool, and it’s boring.  You are swimming the same bit of water over and over again and the heat just zaps up your energy levels so quick.

This month, I had a poignant trip down memory lane when a failed attempt to swim in the sea one Sunday morning, meant that we ended up in

Warrier Square

baths.  My old haunt from my childhood days that saw me progress from County swimmer to an international back in the ‘70’s. As we swum through our 6.4k there, all I could think about was the 1000’s of lengths I had clocked up in those baths as a child while my dad, who is no longer with me, slept outside in the car at ridiculous o’clock in the morning.  I drifted away in my own little world on this morning remembering how many hours my parents had sat on that very poolside every week, encouraging me to succeed.  Sad to say that this very weekend,

Warrier Square

baths has closed for good.  But, I am happy to say, that my coach from those days, Mike Higgs who now lives in South Africa, still speaks to me on Facebook and is following our channel experience.  And not to forget my swim mate from those days, Penny Palfrey (Pedley) back then, and now the open water Queen of Australia, is also giving so much welcomed support and advice all the way from down-under. 

But, onwards and upwards!  Enough of all the soppy stuff, we have a channel to train for. 

The past month has seen my house being turned into a circuit training area.  Hubby came home to ‘Sit ups and push ups are being done on the landing dear’, bike, weights, trampoline is in the back bedroom, medicine ball in the hallway, not to forget jogging up and down the stairs – oh and then there’s Wi-fit core body strengthening in half hours time in the garden room.  Luckily, he loves spending lots of time in the garage polishing his golf clubs! 

I guess the most memorable thing for this month has to be the low temperature that we are now swimming in.  Another book we are both reading at the moment is Lewis Gordon Pugh – Achieving the Impossible’.  Hopefully, by the end of the book, he will have taught us how to ‘train our minds’ to achieving the cold-water challenge.  He is known as the Ice-man or Polar Bear and once swum 1k in minus 2 degrees to bring awareness to environmental protection.  Swimming in 14 degrees is just about bearable for the likes of Karen and me, as long as you have ‘trained your mind’ so to speak, that you are capable of doing it.  And just dropping half a degree less than that, you really notice it.  So our 1 hour and 10mins in 10.5 degrees in Southend last weekend left us (apart from hypothermic), elated.  I guess, if you can do 1 hour in 10.5, it maybe equivalent of surviving several hours in 14 degrees.  That’s the theory we are working on.  Get our bodies used to swimming in this temperature so it no longer becomes something new to us.

An evening with the Swimtrek gang on October 30 in London, speaking to successful channel swimmers underlined just how on track we are.  Comments from two chaps that have swum the channel this year in 10hours and 12 hours respectively and who said to us, “If you girls can swim over an hour in 10.5 degrees”, you are home and dry.  Such a boost for Karen.  This is what she needs.  This is what we both need.  Positive thinking, positive comments and lots of encouragement.

It’s hard to explain, but when the alarm goes off on a cold frosty morning, it’s dark and the house is lovely and warm, and it’s quiet and your hubby is all tucked up in bed, fast asleep.  What possesses someone to get out of that very warm cozy bed, and head off to the beach to swim, in ice cold temperatures just as the sun is rising.   The answer is simple – Prepare yourself for your challenge to succeed.  And we just pop back into a nice warm bed when we get home.  Life’s too short.  It’s for living.  My life was full, happy and complete before Karen came back into it full-time, but now, I realise there is always room to make it more complete.  Anyone who wishes they had the time to full-fill a challenge – just do it.  By saying, I wouldn’t have the time to prepare, it’s another way of saying, I have managed to find an excuse not to do it.  We are living proof that if you want something badly enough – then you do have the time to do it.  You just adjust your daily priorities/routine accordingly.  Karen wants this challenge to succeed and I need to ensure she succeeds in her challenge.

Bit of a soppy report for me this time I guess.  There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are playing a big part in ensuring that a friend of yours achieves their challenge.   Of course, there are lots of other people who are also helping in this challenge but I am a big part of it and I am chuffed that Karen chose me to help her.  So brain freeze, here we come again. November, bring it on!  We are ready !  And when it’s over, she’s gonna help me do my challenge………………….. Now she’s worried !

Challenges, Challenges, Challenges

I've come to realise that there are many challenges to my little swim across the channel, least of all the swim itself.  Some of the challenges include:

• How to feed and what to eat - ever tried eating a power bar in 30 secs whilst treading water. It's worse than eating half a dozen cream crackers without a drink!  I can manage drinks and power gels at present. Next challenge will be rice pudding as it is high in carbs and protein.
• Getting the time in the pool to complete long swims.  This is not too bad at the moment but within the next month or so our training time requirements to achieve the distances will out strip our local pool availability
• What goggles to wear - in the last couple of months I have purchased about 6 pairs of goggles to try and find a pair that do not leak or cause pain.  At the moment I am using speedo aqua socket but the most I have worn them is for 3 hours, here's hoping that as the time increases, they remain comfortable, otherwise it's back to the drawing board.
• The best swimsuit to wear - there are two main issues with the swimsuit, comfort along the length ie not cutting in and lack of chaff potential.  It's not only wet suits that can rub around the neck.  If your swimsuit is wrong, you can end up with blisters and sores on your neck from the swimsuit straps.
• The cold - I am looking at being able to stay in the water for approx 14 hours at temps of 14-16 degrees.  I have to acclimatise to the cold whilst battling hypothermia.  This challenge is one for my family as I won't let them put on the heating and I am sleeping with my windows wide open - much to my husbands disbelief as he is very much a hot house plant!  They may not be suffering in silence but bless, them they are suffering.

The Beauty of the Early Morning Swim

In order to help me with the cold, the plan is to swim in the open sea for as long as possible before the weather dictates otherwise, so Sunday just gone, Lorraine and me set off at 7am to meet Tongie (who was supporting us with the kayak) from the Redcaps at the Crowstone so that I could have an early morning swim. 

With only my swimsuit and a little help of some Vaseline, I tentatively stepped into the sea and rapidly asked myself why, when it was still on the dark side, was I standing in the cold sea and not asleep in my bed?  Eventually, I talked myself into taking the plunge and with brain freeze and a numb body started to swim. 

Why am I not Still in Bed

It's strange to move through the cold water with numb arms not feeling them turning but knowing they are, otherwise you'd be drowning.  Then the burning starts which is worse than the brain freeze and the numb limbs, but eventually, much to your own disbelief, thing seems to settle down and you finally get into your stride just in time to stop and feed and then the whole process starts over again. 

When I got out of the sea and stopped shivering I have to say I was quite proud of myself and what I had achieved.  I had managed to complete about 2 miles in the hour.  Almost at the end of the swim we hit a patch of water that felt like someone had thrown a truck load of ice into it.  As I swam in to it, it stopped me dead and took my breath away but strangely leaving me with enough breath to swear like a trooper (I'm glad my mother didn't hear).  It wasn't until the next day that I found out I had managed to swim for approx one hour in 12.2 degrees, how good do I feel.

Tongie the Kayak Man